SYRACUSE, N.Y. - How do you get attention in August for a political office most people can't even pronounce?

Onondaga County Comptroller Bob Antonacci is taking his campaign for New York state comptroller out to the ballgame. He's also come up with his own kind of doubleheader.

Antonacci will appear as a sponsor at 10 minor-league games, starting Tuesday with the Rochester Red Wings and ending Aug. 28 with the Syracuse Chiefs.

To double the fun, his 17-year-old son Bobby Antonacci III is wearing a big head mascot of his father. They're calling it Bobby the 4th. It will run the races with the other team mascots and corporate sponsors.

Antonacci, a Republican, is challenging incumbent Democrat Tom DiNapoli in November. In a Siena Poll published Monday, 82 percent of likely voters polled said they did not know or had no opinion of Antonacci. Sixty-one percent didn't know about DiNapoli either.

"It's August and nobody really cares about political campaigns and what better way to meet people?" Antonacci said. "I get to go into a very fun environment, get to have my name shouted out on the PA system."

The costume was designed by Randy Carfagno, who designed the big heads for the Washington Nationals, the parent team for the Syracuse Chiefs.

It cost $7,800, Antonacci said.

The campaign bought the costume with a transfer of funds from Antonacci's fundraising account for county comptroller, he said.

Antonacci chose baseball because he loves the sport. But it also helps with the unusual nature of his campaign fundraising goal.

To qualify, he has to raise $200,000 from 2,000 small donors - between $10 and $175 each. Once he reaches that amount, the state will throw in six times the amount in public money.

In mid-July, his campaign had raised $74,963 - but not all of it fits the rules for a public match. He has had some fundraisers since then and said his campaign is still figuring out how much counts toward the match.

"I can tell you this, we're not there yet, but we're getting closer every day," he said. "That's why this baseball tour is so important. If we do 20 checks a baseball stadium, that would be 200 more checks."

There are two price levels for Antonacci fans to get into the ball games. The campaign is charging $25 for admission and food or $10 for admission only. For its sponsorship at each game, the campaign gets a package of free tickets to hand out.

Antonacci said the big head Bob will have a useful life beyond the campaign, so he wanted to pay for it with the portion of funds he raises from donors.

He said he intends to use the public campaign money for media advertising, which won't leave him with tangible items like a car or unused campaign stickers owned by taxpayers.

Another rule about taxpayer funded campaigns is that the money cannot go to a candidate's family member.

So at age 17, Bobby Antonacci III is volunteering to wear the costume at games and in parades and other events this summer. The younger Bobby is about to be a senior at Westhill High School, where he plays himself on the baseball team.